300 couples celebrate marriage in special Mass

More than 10,000 combined years of love, companionship and commitment packed into St. Mary's Cathedral on Sunday.

The Catholic Diocese of Peoria held a special Mass to honor 300 couples who are celebrating their 25th or 50th wedding anniversaries this year.

"Marriage is the greatest sign of Christian love we have," Bishop Daniel Jenky said during his sermon.

Tyler Maritote

More than 10,000 combined years of love, companionship and commitment packed into St. Mary's Cathedral on Sunday.

The Catholic Diocese of Peoria held a special Mass to honor 300 couples who are celebrating their 25th or 50th wedding anniversaries this year.

"Marriage is the greatest sign of Christian love we have," Bishop Daniel Jenky said during his sermon.

Even though the couples are celebrating milestones and have been together for a long time, Jenky acknowledged that the marriages aren't perfect.

"Marriage doesn't have to be perfect," he said. "But you have to love so men and women will find their completion in each other."

The couples in attendance clearly love each other, which keeps their marriages strong. But many of them said there are other virtues that keep them together, and one in particular.

Patience.

Dennis and Kathleen Buetow of Champaign, celebrating their 50th anniversary, blurted out that word in sync when asked to what they credited their successful marriage.

"And you got to take it as it comes," Dennis added. "You never know what's going to happen, and you got to take it as it comes."

Patience was also the first word that came to mind for Joan Shea of Princeton, who is celebrating her 50th anniversary with her husband, Tom.

"That pretty much sums it up in one word," she said.

Her husband added a few other things.

"Patience, love, a commitment to each other and faith," he said.

Having kids helped, too.

"I told him that if he ever left me he would have to take the kids," Joan joked, displaying the sense of humor that she said couples need to have.

Jenky also hinted that a sense of humor can take a marriage a long way.

"My dad, who had a long marriage, always said that the secret of all the years is, 'I was wrong and you were right," he said with a laugh.

While the high divorce rate has some worried, Jenky knows how to reduce the number of divorces drastically.

"Divorce rates are usually about 50 percent," he said. "But even the tiniest bit of Jesus, like saying the 'Our Father' together, and it goes down to about one in 1,000. It takes three to make a good marriage: the husband, the wife and the Lord."

The hourlong mass concluded the same way it began 25 or 50 years ago. All 300 couples faced each other and joined hands while Jenky renewed their vows.

Two sets of "I do" echoed throughout the cathedral followed by "You may kiss your spouse," 300 smooches and a roaring round of applause.

Tyler Maritote can be reached at 686-3251 or tmaritote@pjstar.com.

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